How to Stop an Anxiety Attack

Your teen is running the gauntlet every day. Athletics competitions, team tryouts, and tests are the realities of daily life. And these are in addition to budding romances, peer group pressures, and struggles at home. If your teen’s struggling with anxiety, here’s how to stop an anxiety attack.

Understand Where the Anxiety Comes From

First, it’s important to pinpoint what’s causing the feelings of anxiety. It’s rare that there’s only one source of conflict. That said, anxiety attacks could happen in any setting even if the situation isn’t part of the problem. However, the steps for dealing with an attack are similar no matter when it happens.

How to Stop an Anxiety Attack Right after It Starts

Your teen starts to experience a strong sense of fear. Of course, they know that it’s utterly irrational. This understanding makes it even worse. They feel like they’re losing it.

Some are afraid that they may pass out. Others have the sudden urge to get out of a room, store, or class. There may be dizziness or vertigo. Sweating, clammy skin, and chest pain are additional signs.

Learning how to stop an anxiety attack should focus on the initial onset of symptoms. Teach your teen to appeal to logic and reason. In an impartial way, they should acknowledge the physiological and psychological sensations that are going on. From there, they need to connect the sensations to the understanding that this is what an anxiety attack feels like.

Talking yourself through this kind of situation is possible. For example, you might tell yourself that this is just your body’s way of acting when you feel incredibly uncomfortable. At the same, reinforce the understanding that you’re not in any danger. Then, it’s time to work on reducing the sudden surge of stress hormones.

When it comes to how to stop an anxiety attack, deep breathing exercises help. The same is true for distracting yourself with intentional thoughts or experiences. Some people find it helpful to recite a poem, saying, or mantra. Having a focus object on hand also works well.

Helping Your Teen Deal with and Overcome Anxiety

Of course, it’s not enough to handle the individual anxiety attacks as they occur. Help your teen make lasting changes with anxiety treatment. At a dedicated treatment facility that specializes in helping teenagers, your child receives expert assistance. Possible modalities include the following:

Group therapy, which introduces a supportive, welcoming peer environment

Mindfulness training, which is an integral method for ending anxiety attacks

Yoga that combines breathing exercises with movement for relaxation

Experiential therapies such as art, music, or equine treatment to assist with coping skills development

These treatments work together to support your teen’s effort to overcome this potentially debilitating condition. You now know how to stop an anxiety attack. Don’t end your support there. Connect with Destinations for Teens by dialing 877-466-0620 to help your teen handle anxiety long-term.